When I entered my new apartment, my boyfriend greeted me with a huge smile from the living room. This is unusual; mostly because he's usually sleep around this time. Every one in my family knows not to call between 6pm and 7 pm, because that's his nap time. I even have to tip toe around here during that time. So I knew something was up when I saw him standing down the hall. I rushed to the living room and this is what I saw...

Yep, I got my very own flat panel TV. It's 42 inches. I know everyone thinks I'm all about shopping and shoes, but ya girl Lolo is a electronics freak at heart. I'm one who upgrades the cell phone approximately every year. I just got the iPhone, which isn't a surprise to those who know me personally. But you know how those Apples re-release upgraded products. Actually, I think my phone is obsolete already...

Anywho, I'm super happy and just wanted to share with everyone. Sweetums is hooking up the Playstation 2 as I type. Yep, I'm a video game nut too. Now it's mandatory for us to have a Wii. Two big azz kids, I tell you.

While visiting a few AA forums and blogs, I've read some misinformed commentary regarding Black Oscar History. A few people have said that Black Oscar winners only win for roles protraying blacks in a negative image. While I know this is untrue, I didn't dispuit because 1) I didn't know Black Oscar history off the top of my head, and 2) I didn't have the time or patients to google the issue, just as the commenters didn't, obviously. So when I received this email from the AA forum at work, I had to share with the blogesphere.

Only one African-American woman has won Best Actress in a Leading Role, Halle Berry for Monster’s Ball. When Halle Berry accepted the Academy Award she accepted it on behalf of Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American women to be nominated Best Actress. In 1958, Sidney Poitier was the first Black actor to be nominated for Best Actor. He won the Academy Award in 1963 for the movie Lilies of the Field. In 1972, the film Sounder was the first film to have Blacks nominated for both Best Actor (Paul Winfield) and Best Actress (Cicely Tyson). In 1993, the second film to have Blacks nominated for both Best Actor (Laurence Fishburne) and Best Actress (Angela Bassett) was What’s Love Got to Do With It. In 2001, when Denzel Washington won Best Actor for Training Day, he became the first Black actor to receive five acting nominations overall, the first Black actor to receive three Best Actor nominations, and the second Black actor to win Best Actor. In 2004 when Jamie Foxx won Best Actor for the Ray Charles movie, he was the third Black actor to win Best Actor and the first Black actor be nominated in the same year for two acting roles (he was also nominated that year for Best Supporting Actor for the movie, Collateral). Last year, Forest Whitaker became the fourth Black Actor to win Best Actor when he received an Academy Award for The Last King of Scotland.

Hattie McDaniel became the first Black person (male or female) to win an Academy Award when she won for Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for the movie Gone With The Wind. Since then, other African-American women nominated for Best Supporting Actress include Alfre Woodard (Cross Creek), Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple), Ethel Waters, Beah Richards (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) and Queen Latifah (Chicago). Whoopie Goldberg became the second African-American woman to win for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost. In 2007, Jennifer Hudson became the third African-American to win Best Supporting Actress for the movie Dreamgirls. This year, Ruby Dee, at age 83, made history when she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for American Gangster – she is the second oldest nominee in the history of this award and her nomination is for a five-minute performance, the shortest performance ever to be nominated for an Oscar.

Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music legend and has won Academy Awards for film composition. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned 79 Grammy Award nominations and won 27 Grammys. In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African-Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category. That same year, he became the first African-American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of In Cold Blood. Jones was also the first (and so far, the only) African-American to be nominated as a producer in the category of Best Picture (in 1986, for The Color Purple). He was also the first African-American to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the most Oscar-nominated African-American, each of them having seven nominations.

Suzanne de Passe is an American entertainment executive; the CEO of television production company de Passe Entertainment and the first and only African-American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for writing De Passe first became notable as an executive for Motown. At Motown, de Passe helped to produce television and was responsible for signing, coaching, and developing Motown's most popular act of the 1970s, The Jackson 5. Both she and Lonne Elder III became the first African-Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award for writing. She was nominated for co-writing the screenplay for the Berry Gordy-produced Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross as singer Billie Holiday, while Elder was nominated for Sounder. De Passe co-wrote Lady Sings the Blues with Terence McCloy and Motown recording artist Chris Clark. In 1989, Berry Gordy sold Motown Productions to de Passe, who renamed it de Passe Entertainment. The company produces such television shows and feature films such as Class Act, Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, and It’s Showtime at the Apollo. She has won Emmy Awards and in 1990 was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

An Oscar nom for a 5 minute performance... I'm routing for you Ruby Dee.

Well, it seems that I've missed the first unofficial day of Spring in Los Angeles. On Sunday temps rouse to almost 80 degrees. And while the freeway was packed with beach goers, I made a detour through traffic and drove smoothly to work. Trust me no one was headed in my directions.

I'm usually a 9-5er, and the last thing on my weekend's mind is work, except for getting that Monday anxiety. I cringe in my sleep while anticipating that Monday morning alarm clock. Though a few years ago, a spent a lot of time working in that weekend office chair.

It was nothing to work on a Saturday and Sunday. My current record is working 28 days in a row. I worked 3 weeks straight, followed by 4 days and finally I took off Friday to handle personal business, but I returned to work on Saturday.

Everyday at work was a minimum of 10 hours, topping off at 13 hours. My check was fat. So much so that after a promotion and merit raise, I still made more that year than last year. But my Psoriasis levels peaked from being so stressed. And I was on the verge of having an anxiety attack, as well as failing in school. And you know what, the work never stopped.

I've learned my lesson since then. I like my checks small, well not really, but if it's in lieu of my health and education, then I'll pass. But since I somewhat, kind of sort of, insinuated that I may be available to train in San Francisco, my bosses called my bluff.

I worked 8 hours on a beautiful 80 degrees Sunday to prepare for my jet setting meetings. I missed the Grammy's *hunching shoulders* and the return to the beach or hiking in Malibu (thanks Trish for sending me the pix of you all chilling under my fav waterfall, made a sista feel real good *rolling eyes*).

So I left the office at 11pm, and went home with only a few hours to pack and sleep. Of course I bought all new clothes for the trip, so packing was a easy. But the waking up at 5am part wasn't. Well, I woke up, but didn't get out of bed. After dragging my zombie like body through the cleansing and dressing process, I was ready to go. Unfortunately, I was now running late, and for a plane nonetheless.

I ended up circling the airport three times, all the while wondering if the "American" sign represented American Airline. Then I realized that none of the air companies had airline behind the name, because of course, it was an airport. Common sense right? So I finally parked, and with 20 minutes before flight got my ticket and through security, all the while hearing my name called over the speaker.

Needless to say, I was running through the airport like OJ, back in the day. I'm a procrastinator, so this happens every time I fly. So I made it, and they actually gave me a better seat. No one else was in the lobby or waiting to board the plane.

Finally I make it to San Fran, but my grandboss was no where to be found. We were supposed to be on the same flight, and I knew that ice queen would be steaming if I didn't make the flight. So as I didn't seat in our previously assigned seat, but the roomier seats in the front of the plane, I waited for the last passenger to deploy before I realized that she probably didn't make the flight.

So I got to baggage claim, and still she's no where to be found. Couldn't go to the hotel, because I didn't book my own room or even know where it was located, so I took a cab straight to our building.

Well, she eventually called me and said that the flight was full. Funny, don't remember seeing her in the lobby. And I knew for a fact that my seat was empty and that there were plenty of seats available. But I played along with a "aww wow, really, shoot, now that's just awful"...

So we got our day started and what not. We went on a tour of the property. There's a park attached to one of our buildings. There are beautiful sculptures all over the park. Half of the park is owned by us, and the other half owned by the city. The grass is greener on our side...

When we came back out to go to lunch, there were people all over the grass having lunch. I was so jealous. We could never do that at our building, as it's surrounded by cement, and any grassy patches are occupied by the bums. And they're really territorial.

At the end of the day we walk to our hotel, and pass a few more parks. In each park, there's sculptures and artwork. I wish I had taken pictures, but my hands were occupied with luggage. There's artwork around every corner, at least in that part of San Fran. It's so beautiful. Even when we get to our hotel, there's a huge sculpture in the middle of the lobby.

So we all agree to meet up around 7:30 for dinner. Around 7 I get dressed and go down to Coffee Bean and it’s closed. WTF, who knew that San Fran was the city that went to sleep with the chickens, as my grandpa would say...

I go to Ann Taylor, closed. Nine West, closed. Liz Claiborne, closed. Then I just stopped my pursuit for any shopping. I was told that this would be the city to shop, since the store's headquarters are located in San Fran. Well, I guess some one forgot to inform them that I was coming through. The ultimate shopper arrives and they decide to go on a siesta...

So I finally, Starbucks is still open. I get a drink and coffee cake to take back to the room. My boss finally calls and says that the other girls are already in their pajamas and that she would hang with me if I wanted to see the town. I turned her down, just as the other girls did, but without a lie. I have nothing in common with the ice queen and I didn't want to have an uncomfortable dinner. So she tells me I can order room service and what not and we hang up.

It's funny because she was simultaneously sending me an invitation to an ass chewing on my work email once she returned to the office... The call time on my iPhone and the email are a minute apart...

So I went down to the concierge and got a map to Fisherman's Warf. I stopped to photograph a few sculptures, until my camera started acting the fool.

Finally made my trolley wait area, but the thing was taking forever, and it was freezing cold. So I grabbed some Taco Bell and headed back to my room. No lonesome San Fran story of adventure to tell.

But I'll say that my trip was worth it. I had the best crab cakes and salmon I had ever had. I got to sleep in a bed by myself for once. No limbs wrapped completely around my body. No snoring in my ear... I didn't wake up in an armpit... I didn't trip over a size 12 tennis shoe just thrown randomly in the hallway on my way to the bathroom... And I got to sleep in the most comfortable bed in the world. I slept curled up across the foot under a light blanket, with the balcony doors open and the heater on blast. And I'm going out to buy me a few of those neck pillows...

And ofcourse, just like the boss, my 9am flight was full... The flight after that one was full too. And it wasn't full just because I was in that comfortable bed still sleep. I didn't wake up to turn off the alarm, and closed the balconey doors and heavy curtains, and climb back in that bed with the comfortable neck pillow....

So now we're planning a more casual San Fran trip. I'm sure I'll have much more fun on the next. Oh, and I'm super sick now. It had to be the weather change. And walking around in all that cold, then returning to blazing hot temps. And sorry this is sooo long. It was supposed to be like 3 posts throuhgout the past week, but I've been so medicated and what not. But I'm getting better. Hope you all enjoyed.

Well, as you can see, my name is Marleaux (pronounced Marlo) Nichelle. I'm named after Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek and Marlo Thomas of That Girl; two independent ladies of 70's TV. Though I'm not anal about it, I do usually need to correct the pronunciation of my name. If I didn't, I would be Marla, Margo or Michelle, for the rest of my life. Though for 6 months as I worked as a temp-to-perm at my current job, I was Margo. It wasn’t until I interviewed for a permanent position, that my boss saw that my name contained an L and not a G. I didn't care; I just wanted to be hired…

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ABOUT ME

Marleaux

Los Angeles, California, United States

My blog: Lolo's Cube provides women with valuable insight on achieving a fabulous and fulfilled lifestyle. Whether the women are young, old, skinny, “thicker than most,” rich or “just getting by,” they could learn how to keep up with the latest trends and learn to look and live well, without breaking the bank in the process.